For instance, the wood of Ochroma lagopus, which grows naturally in southern Mexico, is better known as balsa-wood, long a favorite with model-makers, and once considered a vital raw material for the airplane industry.

Among animals, the deliberate introduction of Arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus) to the Aleutian and Commander Islands in the 18th century for harvest of their pelts led to the marked reduction or extirpation of populations of marine birds, waterfowl, and other ground nesting birds.

Birds residing in the tundra throughout the year are very few and include species such as Arctic redpoll (Carduelis hornemanni), willow grouse (Lagopus lagopus), ptarmigan, raven, gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), and snowy owl (Nyctea scandiaca).

Birds of prey such as snowy owls, short-eared owls (Asio flammeus), jaegers (skuas – Stercorarius spp.), and rough-legged buzzards (Buteo lagopus) are lemming and vole specialists that are only able to breed at peak lemming densities and which aggregate in areas with high lemming densities.